An emblem of Our Lord, the victim offered as a sacrifice for our sins. In the Jewish sacrifices a lamb prefigured the coming Messias. SaintJohn the Baptist pointing out the Saviour to the multitude, said: “Behold the Lamb of God.” One of the few Christian symbols dating from the first century is that of the Good Shepherd carrying a lamb on His shoulders with two others by His side, and on a sarcophagus of the 4th century, Christ in a series of Gospel scenes is represented as a lamb. The lamb is sometimes portrayed standing bearing a cross or banner, or lying as if slain, on a book closed with seven seals, as described by Saint John in the Apocalypse. It is also a general symbol of modesty and innocence.